Top 20 of 2010: 11 - 15

This seems to be the more predominately 'stoner' segment of the Top 20 of 2010, but hey, it's all in alphabetical order, so it's of no fault of my own.

11. Monster Magnet - Mastermind (See Review)
Mastermind is one of the best releases in the long list of Monster Magnet albums. It is regarded (by myself and most other reviewers) as a return to the classic era of the group, along the lines of Powertrip or Dopes To Infinity. In my mind, while it doesn't have the few songs that act as hooks for the rest of the album (as most other Monster Magnet albums do), the overall song quality within Mastermind is much more level. I've been a long time listener of Monster Magnet, and while I like their spin-off act, The Atomic Bitchwax, a bit more, the group has always had a soft spot in my rock and groove heart. AllMusic already has a posting of the next Monster Magnet album, The Lowdown (albeit, it's not much), to be released sometime in 2011. If this is a full studio album, not a 'best of' or a live album, then it will be the quickest turn around for Monster Magnet LPs sense their first two (Spine of God in '92 followed by Tab...25 in '93 - which was really an extended EP but it's over 55 minutes long so I count it). After the superb release in 2010, I am with baited breath, waiting for this supposed album.

New Album: The Ocean - Anthropocentric

Also seen on Heavy Planet: 

After my write-up of the superb Heliocentric, I was expecting something sonically akin to it with The Ocean's next release, with mixed success. Anthropocentric, the second full-length release by the band, follows it's predecessor... sort of. While Heliocentric was a venture into the unknown, merging sounds and thoughts together in creative ways, Anthropocentric is more angry sounding, focusing more on the NWOAHM influences then anything else. While they do try to mix in songs into the mix, most notably "The Grand Inquisitor III: A Tiny Grain of Faith" which is beautifully haunting, they are just few and far between. While the album is still good - a really good collection of head-banging material - it isn't what I wanted following the wet-dream that is Heliocentric.

New Album: The Ocean - Heliocentric

Also seen on Heavy Planet:

I threw on Heliocentric, what I thought was The Ocean's newest album (until I saw they had just released Anthropocentric), just to have some background noise after I got home from a dull day at work. I just wanted something that would fade into the background as I checked my email and chatted with the roommate. After the first song or two I realized that I had stumbled upon something different.
Where most post-metal albums (the ones I've heard anyway) tend to be atmospheric and trance-like, Heliocentric was the opposite. It contained songs with full thoughts and structure, Not only that but it also had songs of different composition and instrumentation mixed in. It wasn't the same old picture rehashed track after track.